Human–Wild Animal Conflict in Kashmir

The videos and images of the leopard being attacked and later subdued by the villagers  with the help of the wildlife officials in the Fatehpura village of Ganderbal district  in central Kashmir have gone viral. Leopard had created panic in the area and thus the people were frightened and also on alert. Team of wildlife officials was seen active at the site where the leopard was on the prowl. In a short video of a less than one minute duration that is viral on social media. A wildlife official is seen taking cudgels with a wild cat. He is seen attempting to control and capture the leopard with a mere stick. Leopard manages to overpower the official and ultimately attacks him. While jumping on the official, the leopard bites him and injures him. The intent of the wildlife official is indeed to capture the leopard alive. This led the local people to jump to the rescue of the official with sticks meant to beat the leopard. This somehow enabled the wildlife officials to capture the leopard and tranquilise him. Leopard had been wandering in this area posing a threat to the people. As such they informed the Wildlife Department that promptly swung into action. Leopard has injured five people that includes two women and three wildlife officials. This incident raises many questions about the human-wild animal conflict. Over the years there has been a continuous rise in these incidents leading to much causality. The whole scale urbanisation and encroachment of the wildlife habitat by the humans has displaced the wild animals and made them desperate to seek shelter. After snatching their habitat humans end up as vulnerable to these species that are left homeless. There is a need to sensitise the masses that encroachment of the forest land leads to disruption of the habitat of the wild animals. Though we recognise the threat to the human lives from these wild animals, we fail to internalise that it is the humans that make these species ferocious by encroaching their shelter. The Ganderbal incident should leave us wiser and enable us to understand that we need to introspect  about the human greed that is meant to be selfish. We need to start a debate as to why are such incidents increasing and making humans vulnerable? There is a need to maintain harmony between humans and wild animals for balancing the ecosystem. On the part of the Wildlife officials who were on the forefront to save the people from the threat to their lives from the leopard who had entered human habitation. There are lessons to be learnt. Their rescue operation no doubt subdued the leopard but the way its officials suffered injuries speaks volumes about their preparations and wherewithal. There is a need for the advanced training that must enable the wildlife to suffer least damage. Tranquiliser’s shots could have been fired from a safe location instead of indulging with the leopard with bare hands and sticks. When wildlife officials were attacked by the leopard, it panicked the mob that used huge sticks and wooden plans to hit the animal. It speaks about the insensitivity but in a panic situation when the professionals who were finding it difficult to control the leopard prompted the people to take the charge. What can be learnt from this incident is that we humans must control our greed for encroaching the forest land .So that the wild animals are not driven towards the human habitations. Another thing is that the Wildlife Department has to be equipped with the kits and trained teams that can subdue the wild animals with scientific means. It will enable least damage to officials, local people and it will also help the capture of the animal by professional means.